Just Grin and Bear It
by juuri-93
Summary: One shot showing some of the events of June 1981, only months before James and Lily were killed.


**A/N: **While I'm uploading old fan fics I figured I'd present for you, my lovely readers, a one-shot marauders era story. This is the very first fan fiction that i ever wrote so I don't think it's all that good, but enjoy anyway.

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"So what? We just have to live like caged animals for the rest of our lives?"

James Potter was not convinced in the slightest that he and his wife and son should go into hiding.

"No, just the rest of Voldemort's life," Sirius joked, in a desperate attempt to lighten the mood of Remus' dark kitchen.

"Sirius that doesn't help," Remus said shortly, "Look James, we're not suggesting that you never leave the house or anything, Dumbledore just wants you to go into hiding so that _he _can't find you, you will still be able to go out and-"

"And what?" James interrupted, "be afraid that when I get home I'll find nothing but rubble? What kind of life is that Remus? How will it be for Harry, growing up afraid to go out the door?"

"At least we would be safe," Lily spoke up for the first time since they had been told of the situation.

"James, you either go into hiding and live or don't and most probably die, sorry to put it so bluntly, but how many times have we seen with the order just how determined Voldemort is when he has a goal. If he wants someone dead, there is very little that can be done about it, but we have a warning, we have a head start in this case. Please, wouldn't it be better for Harry to grow up in hiding than to never get the chance?" Sirius was doing his best to sway his best friend's pigheadedness.

"Why us?" James asked to the dimly lit room.

"Sometimes bad things happen to good people James, but this can be prevented, let Dumbledore help you, let him put you into hiding."

Remus lay his hand on James' shoulder.

There was a few moments silence. James sighed and put his face in his hands. Lily leaned closer, and transferred Harry from her own lap to her husband's. For several minutes, James sat gazing at his son. Harry smiled back up at his father, completely oblivious of the danger he was now in.

Finally looking up again, James stared from Remus to Sirius,

"What does Dumbledore suggest?" He had admitted defeat. His family would go into hiding.

- - -

"For Merlins sake Lily, make up your mind! This thing is really heavy!"

"Ok, just put it down there," Lily replied pointing. H=er husband really didn't understand the finer points of interior design. As long as the house had a fridge, a toilet and a bed he was happy, the rest was up to her. The two young men who had been supporting the couch dropped it with enough force that it made small dints in the floor in the places where the legs came crashing down.

"James!" Lily scolded in a hushed yet reprimanding tone, "Be quiet for heaven's sake; Harry's sleeping!"

"Sorry love," he replied exhausted, before collapsing with Sirius onto the couch they had just unloaded.

"Why couldn't we have waited until Dumbledore got here?" Sirius asked for about the hundredth time that afternoon. "Then we could have levitated these damn things into place and not have to worry about any muggles seeing us."

"Mate, no matter how many times you ask, the answer is still going to be the same, Lily wants the place finished before the Fidellius charm is put into place, that way, when it _is_ activated we can just relax." James explained, emphasising the last word as though it was all he would like to do.

"I'd much rather relax now and use magic later…" Sirius started, but at the look Lily gave him he quickly continued, "but I can see how this works better."

"Well gentlemen would you like to take a quick break before you start on the upstairs or do you want to get right into it?" Lily asked half smiling at the reaction she got.

"There's an upstairs!" Sirius exclaimed incredulously, "Does that mean we will have to carry these things up steps?"

"Sure does," said Lily smiling as she headed toward the kitchen, "But I think you both need a cup of tea before that, you have sugar in yours don't you Sirius?."

In the kitchen, Lily managed to extract some mugs and a kettle from the cardboard box in which they were still stored. Despite the loud noise that the kettle made as it began to boil, she was still able to hear the conversation going on in the other room.

"Honestly Sirius, the way you are complaining about a little bit of moving' everyone would think that you have some grave life threatening illness."

"Yeah well, I'm just annoyed that it's only me here helping you two, I mean where are Remus and Peter when you need them? And I don't see why Hagrid couldn't have come to lend a hand." Sirius retorted rather sulkily.

"Remus is on business for the order until tonight," James replied, "Hagrid is needed at Hogwarts until the winter term ends, and Peter… well I'm not quite sure actually, but he said he had to be somewhere very important."

"Lazy little rat! He's probably just trying to get out of helping you… Not that I mind of course," Sirius added quickly.

"And we really appreciate it too don't we James?" added Lily as she re-entered the sitting room with a tray of tea and biscuits.

"Yeah, sure… Why not." James replied rather distracted, as he eyed the food that his wife was placing on the table.

For a short while no-one spoke. James and Sirius were attacking the biscuits and tea as though they hadn't eaten in a year, while Lily was scanning the room, trying to decide wether or not she was satisfied with it's current layout, though she was not game enough to request it to be changed.

"How is Harry doing these days?" Sirius asked just as he finished his fifth biscuit, "I haven't seen the little tyke in awhile"

"He's sleeping through the night now," Lily replied, she always loved talking about her baby, "and he is looking more and more like his father by the day." Lily looked fondly at James as he put his arm around her shoulders.

"Poor kid," said Sirius attempting solemnity but grinning slightly.

The rude sign that James made in response produced a scowl from Lily, who, although used to her husbands' antics, was concerned that they would one day rub off on Harry.

As she drained her cup of tea, Lily stood and turned to face James and Sirius who were still slumped on the couch.

"Well gentlemen, we have some furniture to take upstairs."

"I do all the work around here!" James declared rather melodramatically.

"Oh really?" Lily inquired raising an eyebrow, and taking his hand, led James and Sirius out the front door to where a transfigured motorbike was waiting, looking as much like a removalist van as it could manage.

- - -

"Good god Remus how many potatoes does one man need?" Sirius was hungry and felt that he had already waited long enough for his food.

"I haven't eaten in two days! The order has a habit of sending me to places that don't have decent restaurants," Remus replied rather defensively as he passed the plate of vegetables deliberately to James and away from Sirius.

"Oi! You cheeky bastar…"

"Sirius!" Lily cut in, "Not in front of Harry!"

"Sorry little man, I… hey! He's getting potatoes!"

James had just begun to mash up his son's food when Sirius got sick of waiting and took out his wand.

"Accio," he said pointing it at the plate James was still holding. It began to fly towards Sirius, but James caught hold of it again and pulled it so that Sirius' charm broke.

"Hey!"

"What can I say mate? The skills of a seeker never die!" James smirked at the mixed look of amusement and irritation that Sirius now wore. Finally, after a sideways glace at the look Lily was giving him, James handed the plate over.

"Honestly! Anyone would think that you were children the way you two behave!" her face was stern, but her emerald eyes were laughing.

"This really is delicious Lily," Remus said as he helped himself to some more steak.

"Thankyou Remus I…"

"Oi!"

James had been hit square between the eyes by a flying piece of potato, which had burst open and was now smeared all over his glasses. Harry began to laugh at seeing his daddy covered in food. Lily turned to Sirius and attempted to tell him off, but instead she burst into laughter. Across the table, Sirius was looking very pleased with himself until the piece of pumpkin James had flung at him collided with the side of his head. Harry laughed even harder, he didn't know what game his daddy and godfather were playing, but he thought it was very funny. So funny in fact that he decided to join in and grabbed the piece of pasta he had been attempting to swallow, rolled it into a ball in his fat little fist and catapulted it to hit Sirius on the side of his cheek. James began to laugh at his son's efforts.

"Atta-boy Harry! Show him what Potters are made of."

"I know what they are made of," said Sirius smiling as he wiped the results of this latest attack off his face with a napkin, "and it's not anything to be proud of!"

"Honestly you two! you're acting like children." Lily scolded as she began to clear the table.

"You're not telling Harry off," said Sirius giving Lily his best 'hurt' face.

"He _is _a child." She replied, walking into the kitchen with the dirty plates.

"will you two ever grow up?" Remus asked.

He had to duck as the remaining food from Sirius and James' plates were thrown in reply.

- - -

"Go on Harry! Catch it!"

Sirius laughed as his godson tried to catch the bubbles that were materializing from the tip of his wand. He sat crouching on the carpet of the Potter's living room, egging Harry on and enjoying this rare moment he had to spend with the small boy. With all the work he had been doing for the Order lately, Sirius had had very little time to spend with his friends, so he was revelling in this small slice of 'me' time, which would probably not come again for a long time.

"Look at him Lil, he's going to be a seeker just like his dad!" James, was already showing all the signs of a doting parent despite the fact that his son was not yet one year old. Lily was nestled at James' side on the large soft sofa that took up most of the space in the room. Her head rested on his chest, his arm draped around her shoulders. Sitting opposite them in the wooden rocking chair that Lily used when she was trying to get Harry to sleep, was Remus.

He surveyed the comfortable scene before him, and scarcely remembered being so happy. The memories of being pursued by death eaters and almost caught earlier that same day seemed far and distant, and Remus couldn't help wondering how long this serenity would last. How much longer they could evade and defer Voldemorts inevitable victory and how much longer they all had before darkness consumed everything they held dear. Forcing such thoughts from his head, Remus turned back to watch Sirius, who was now swinging Harry upside down much to the toddler's delight.

"He really does look like you doesn't he James?" he said smiling.

"He sure does!" James responded proudly, "except his eyes, he has Lily's eyes."

Looking down at Lily, James began to stroke her hair in the way he used to when they were at school. She nestled closer and looked up at the man she loved, wishing the moment could go on forever.

Lily watched her son playing on the floor, screaming with delight as Sirius produced different coloured clouds from his wand tip which he sent flying around the room for Harry to chase. The move to this new house had been stressful and hectic for both Lily and James, but she felt it would all be worth it, because she would be able to watch her son grow up. At that moment, no-one in the room much cared that there were dark forces plotting their destruction, or that they would all soon be called to arms again to continue the on-going battle against Voldemort. All that mattered was that they had each other and nothing could ever take that away. Excerpt

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These were some of the events of June 1981. In October of the same year, Lily and James Potter were brutally murdered at the hand of Lord Voldemort. Consumed by grief, Sirius Black set out to kill the one who betrayed the couple's location to the dark lord, only to be arrested, charged and incarcerated for the deaths himself. Remus, who was unaware of Sirius' innocence, lost all those closest to him in one swift blow. And Harry, now an orphan, was sent to live with his mother's muggle sister and her family. Such was the nature of the dark lord, he broke families, split friendships, destroyed happiness and spread suspicion, uncertainty and fear amongst those who dared oppose him.

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**A/N: **so did you like that? please review - thanks :)


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